Description
Silkworm eggs are ordered in batches of 100, 200, 500 and 1000 which come loose in a small container ready to hatch within 7 – 14 days.
Developmental stages:
The total life-cycle of a silkworm ranges up to about 6 weeks. Ideally silkworms will experience 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness per day, a temperature of 24°C – 28°C, as well as a humidity 65% – 90%.
After hatching your silkworm eggs, silkworms will go through five larval stages called instars. Each instar is defined by the silkworm shedding its skin. The instars have various optimal rearing conditions and duration’s as indicated below:
| Stage | Temperature
(°C) |
Humidity
(%) |
Average Duration
(Days) |
| EGGS | 25 | 75 – 80 | NA |
| Instar 1 | 28 | 85 – 90 | 3 -6 |
| Instar 2 | 27 | 85 | 7-11 |
| Instar 3 | 26 | 80 | 12 – 16 |
| Instar 4 | 25 | 70 – 75 | 17 – 23 |
| Instar 5 | 24 | 65 – 70 | 24 + |
What to feed your silkworms when they hatch:
Silkworms will naturally only eat mulberry leaves from hatching to their fifth instar. They will also eat our specially formulated silkworm chow.
Please remember that baby silkworms (Otherwise known as Kego’s) have very soft jaws and will eat best from newly developed soft leaves.
80% of silkworms food is eaten in the 5th instar.
Younger silkworms are more susceptible to infections from poor living conditions and in order to gain the highest possible turnover of silkworms you will need to maintain their optimum living conditions.
Take a look through our blogs to find out more on silkworms: http://13.245.183.234/2019/09/18/silkworms-as-a-feeder-insect/
Find out more on the nutritional benefits of silkworms here.
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